agatharights:

laurelhach:

This is may be a very silly question but is it okay for a snake’s mental health to watch videos of prey animals?

@bettsplendens thoughts?

I’m honestly not sure. I don’t think snakes are smart enough to get frustrated at not being able to catch the food, for one thing. Nor do I know if snakes really have mental health, aside from avoiding boredom and stress. 

I suppose it might strike and bump its face trying to get the food, but I can’t think of any other problems. I’m also not certain whether or not they would recognize the video as a prey animal, without the scent and heat input. Keep in mind that snakes are deaf.

The question is, why? If you’re looking for enrichment, new objects or new smells are good for snakes, plus making sure they have enough to do.

If you just want to see what happens, it’s not going to hurt the snake to see a prey item and then not catch it once or twice. If you’re really worried, you could offer food afterwards, but it should be fine.